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Brad: Welcome to the Speak Up Radio daily podcast – 'Time to Make a Difference'. Today we're hosting Emily Green, the author of the Global Sustainability Educational Program which is soon going to be included in almost all British and Scandinavian secondary schools.

Brad: Hi, Emily! How are you?

Emily: Hi, Brad! Thanks for inviting me!

Brad: So, let's start! First of all, tell us, what is the program all about and why is it important to include it in the school curriculum?

Emily: Well, it's no secret that humanity is facing a lot of environmental problems nowadays, most of which are man-made. Global warming, water, air and soil pollution, natural resource depletion, loss of biodiversity are just a few of them.

Brad: Yeah, our impact on the environment hasn't been nice so far...

Emily: Exactly! And if we don't change our attitude to the planet and our consumer lifestyle, we risk facing even more environmental problems in the near future, if not completely destroying the place we live in. That's what my program is about – how to change the consumer's way of thinking into an environmentally friendly attitude to the planet.

Brad: Well, sounds good! Can you bring us examples of environmentally friendly habits that we could adopt in our everyday life?

Emily: Sure! It's not so difficult to do, by the way. The first step is to refuse disposable plastic and start using more ecological materials. Then, you can buy fewer things and less food. All our consumer advertising works like this. People are forced to buy more and more things which they hardly need. Reasonable consumption is one of the main topics in my educational program.

Brad: I bet not all industries would be enthusiastic about your idea. Fewer buyers mean less profit.

Emily: That's what I want to change – this selfish way of thinking!

Brad: Any other ways to reduce our impact on the environment?

Emily: We can use zero-emission city transport, for example. Many cities are already switching to electric cars. There's also a very eco-friendly habit such as carpooling – when you share a car instead of driving one alone. And, needless to say, we shouldn't forget about recycling and composting! City dwellers can be very environmentally friendly if they put some effort into making a difference.

Brad: I believe your program would be useful not only for school students but also for adults.

Emily: Actually, my program is available on the Global Sustainability Program website, and it's free of charge. Moreover, any person interested in environmental protection can add their own ideas of how to make our future more sustainable.

Brad: Thank you, Emily, for your time and for inspiring us to make a difference!

Mark the statements as True or False.

Time to Make a Difference is the title of a new educational programme for schools.

• True
• False

Global Sustainability Educational Program is included in almost all British and Scandinavian schools.

• True
• False

Climate change, pollution of water, air and soil, depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity are human phenomena.

• True
• False

Emily wants people to change their ecological perspective on the planet to consumers' mindset.

• True
• False

The first step consists of rejecting disposable plastic and starting to use greener materials.

• True
• False

Reasonable consumption is a crucial part of the programme.

• True
• False

An emission-free lifestyle is the best way to reduce the negative impact on the environment.

• True
• False

People will never agree to change their cars and use cars with a renewable source of energy.

• True
• False